Measles cases continue to appear across US; Map shows 16 states with infections reported
Cases of measles have continued to crop up in states across the U.S. since a handful of infections were reported at the beginning of the year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first issued an emergency warning on Jan. 25, saying 23 cases were confirmed in several states between December 1, 2023, and January 23, 2024.
Since then, seven more states have been added to the list with at least 18 more infections.
The total case count remains relatively low at under 50, but health officials have advised increased vigilance, as the virus is highly contagious; so contagious, in fact, that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting it. Additionally, 1 in 5 of those people end up hospitalized, according to the CDC.
See the map below for more information on where measles cases have been confirmed.
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Measles cases by state
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CDC data on current measles cases is updated monthly. The latest update from Feb. 29 reported 41 confirmed cases spread across 16 states. However, several state health departments have also shared information about cases, some of which are reported between CDC tracking updates.
Here's what those states are reporting:
Arizona - Two cases in Maricopa County
California - One case in Los Angeles County
Florida - Ten cases Broward and Polk counties
Georgia - One case in the Atlanta Metro area
Indiana - One case in Lake County
Louisiana - Two cases in the Greater New Orleans area
Maryland - One case in Montgomery County
Michigan - Three cases in Washtenaw and Oakland counties
Minnesota - Three cases in Dakota County
Missouri - One case in Clay County
New Jersey - One case in Camden County
New York - Two cases in NYC
Ohio - One case in Montgomery County
Pennsylvania - Nine confirmed cases--eight in Philadelphia and one outside of that area
Virginia - One case in Loudoun County
Washington - Six cases in Clark and Wahkiakum counties
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Measles cases reported by year
The last major outbreak of measles in the U.S. occurred in 2019, when a total of 1,249 measles cases and 22 measles outbreaks were reported in the United States between Jan. 1 and Oct. 1. According to the CDC, this was the second-highest number of reported outbreaks since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 and the highest in a single year since 1992.
Many of these cases came from an outbreak in New York City. Of the cases, 1,107, or 89%, were in patients who were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
Children receive MMR vaccines as part of the regular course between the ages of 12 and 15 months for the first dose and ages 4 to 6 for the second. The vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella and is 97% effective at preventing measles when both doses are given.
The CDC also says that 3 of 100 people that receive two doses of MMR can still get measles if exposed to the virus; however, this usually leads to "milder illness." This group of vaccinated people are also less likely to spread the disease to others, the CDC added
Measles symptoms
According to the CDC, measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the onset of the first symptoms.
Other signs and symptoms of measles include:
High fever
Cough
Runny nose and sneezing
Red, watery eyes
Loss of appetite, diarrhea
Reddish-brown rash that can spread across the entire body
Koplik spots, tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth two to three days after symptoms begin
Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots (the spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body)
When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See a map of 16 states with confirmed measles cases